I would guess that most of the replica owners on this site did not build their kits with donor vehicles and pretty darn sure most did not paint theirs themselves. So most have $50K or more in their kits (Not even concidering the high end replicas in that statement).

They are running 500+ HP and all sorts of racing equipment/parts. So their vehicles are more or less street legal race cars.

If the OP is looking for a clean smooth running street car and can paint it themselves then $18K-$25K is not unreasionable for a no frills donor built kit.

The thing is that this kit car industry was designed to be able to have a specialty vehicle and a budget cost. Most owners have changed that to building a full blown race car and now think that someone wanting to build a kit on a low in budget is either crazy or uninformed on what THEIR idea of what a kit car is about.

That being said, the OP also needs to realize that 95% of the time the build cost ends up being 30%-50% higher than the starting budget.

For the OP, do your research on what exactly comes with the kit and what you need to purchase later. Then see if your $18K budget still works.

The statement “not going to race but i will have a big enough engine in case some stupid civic trys to test me” (sic) concerns me.

Save your money and finish school.

Like I said I have to money to build it I don't have time with the 69 impala I did instal tranny brake lines replace quarter panels and did electric wiring with a little help of the layout..... Interior was done by mom , engine was rebuilt by dad and me mostly him but I do know my way around the I just want a kit so I can start building and then once I finish school poor all my attention to it and what things need to be bought ..... I have money to buy a finished one as high up to 70k give or take ...... I want to build it

Ohh and I am young so obviously I will want to race it a few time but for the most part I will be cruising for pleasure

Dugliness thanks I checked those site out I think I know what I'm going to get and I know 18 is. It enough for a car running I want only kit no engine or other major components I will buy those slowly until I have time to put towards the car

That budget can certainly get you a nice finished product.

I will say that building one of these has been really fun.

99% of the time. ;)

If you are building from the ground up and not purchasing a roller you have some good options. Sounds like you have some resources to draw on and that never hurts.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Maybe even start a build thread when you get going.

Maybe I'm just old and cranky today, but I'm betting this will be a car that is never finished, or something I would not want to own when it's done.

I'm not going to go back and check, but did the Impala just go from a 63 to a 69?

Close...it went from a '62 to a '69 (post #14). Irrelevant to the point you're making though.

My better judgement tells to to stay out of this one. What the heck!

I have only heard of one guy that had built a car for that price. He is in his late 50s and has been building and working on cars all his life. He built his own frame and owns his own body molds. It took a life time of skills and years of aquiring tools to get to the point where he could pull that kind of a deal off.
After building my car the term "kit car" has become offensive to me. There may be some brands that are like building a model but I have not found any. I use to think Factory Fives cars where that way until I talked to few guys that built them. There is no perfect kit and I have researched them all. The top end cars like ERA and Unique I would not call kits unless you buy the basic frame and body.

It takes a lot of work to shop for a good brand and determine what actually you need vs. what they are selling as a complete kit. The word complete in this business does not mean everything you need to build the car. I have a file of all the parts needed to build a car. If you want it PM me and I will send it to you.

If you are serious and can not be deterred then I would look at two brands. Factory Five has come a long way and the improvements with the Mark IV make it a darn good car. There is a lot of support and there are two forums to get help. The company has a good reputation. Another company to look at is McGill Street Rods.Fiberglass 34 Coupes and Cobras by McGill Manufacturing. He has been building cobras for I am guessing 18 or so years. He was the other partner with B&B and now is on his own. His car may get you started in the price range that is reasonable. Barry is a man that works with his hands and does really good work. His frame is strong and his body is thick from what I have seen.

This being said, I think you really, really, need to spend a lot more time and learn about what you are getting into. I was once told by a manufacturer that about half of the kits sold were never built by the original owner. Does that tell you something?

Wayne

I have one for sale
 

am in NJ asking $35,000 obo Runs great 429 in 500 + hp fun to drive etc let me know if interested? am not good on computer so not sure if this will even post Thanks keith

!st requirement: do you have a garage space (or two)?
Most builds take years , so if you have $ for the kit, why not start now ?
FFR fits your starting budget, I say go for it!

This is why a Cobra would have gotten me killed, if I had had one when I was college aged.

If you do not have the discipline to be in control of what you do, rather than let someone else challenge or dare you to do what they want you to do, these are not the car for you.

A Cobra weighs typically under 2500 lb, compared to 3600-4200 lb for the average street car.

A Cobra typically has 400-500 Hp, with many hitting 700 Hp, Compared to the average daily driver's 150-300 HP.

Your talking 5 pounds per HP in a Cobra to 20 pounds per Hp in the average daily driver. Do the math, that's 4 times more acceleration than anything you have experienced in a car.

A Cobra is raw rugged Hp with no handling package to auto correct for you. It will accelerate faster than your mind can think. With a 90" wheel base it will turn sharper and faster than you can comprehend. If you break the tires loose (which it can do in any gear at any speed) and it starts sideways, instantly letting off the throttle, will result in it snapping back so fast your head will keep spinning. Any over or under steer on your part will will result in a likely disaster.

These cars have killed many people who were skilled drivers. Street racing in one of these cars is a good way for someone to die a gruesome, painful, death.

I'm not talking down to you. I was young once. I remember it well. I'm lucky to be alive today with way less car. It took attending too many of my friends funerals and a lot of years to see the reality.

Just an FYI, this thread is over 4 years old and OP has not been here since.

I hate it when that happens!

I also think giving that thread a close look but for an entirely different reason. It will show just how difficult and unrealistic attempting to build on a tight budget can be, even for someone with a great deal of time, experience, and support can be. While it is true that it can be done with the proper skillset and time, the idea that anyone can do it is absurd.

My prediction is that if you head down the path, the most likely outcome is a compilation of parts that will eventually be the great deal someone else gets to do a budget build. What nobody wants is another car at the local cruise-in of a quality level that it embarrasses all of us involved in the hobby.

OK. So I am interested in a Cobra Kit car but I want one running and maybe something that I can use as a platform to upgrade as I own the car. Is it realistic to get a completed car for about $35,000? What would be a good starter car. I am retired and have been rebuilding / manufacturing classic cars for over 45 years, so I can easily use a wrench and do some upgrades.

What do y'all think?

I think you'll be disappointed in what you can get for 35k. You asked.

I don’t necessarily disagree with Tony but there are so many kits for sale, and so many sellers with varying degrees of urgency, that you can find decent deals in that price range or a little north of there if you’re patient and turn over every rock (eBay, Auto Trader, Hemmings, Cobra Country, the For Sale portion of forums like this one, etc.). Of course it depends on what you’re looking for in terms of accuracy, drivetrain, level of finish, etc. For instance, here’s what looks like a pretty nice Backdraft that could probably be had for around $40K with a little negotiation: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...a/2342591.html

For a completed car you might find one that is in pretty tough shape and be able to clean it up. I've seen some kits that were simply badly assembled that could be resurrected but at a cost that might never be recovered. Sort of like the 20k kitchen remodel that is never recouped on resale. For something like that patience is a virtue.

You might find an abandoned kit but you'd need to budget engine trans etc. Say on the cheap 10k. That leaves 25k for the rest. Possible but you'd be left with old kits from places not around any more and finishing one of those will require some good fabrication skills and also probably a whole bunch of specialized tools you probably don't already have. I guess my point is that when you're done you maybe have 15k of that 25k to really put into the kit. If you were to ask why it is currently unfinished besides "it took much longer than I expected" the other reason is "the unplanned incidental expenses were much greater than I thought "

Good luck.

Learn the titling requirements for your state of residence.
Save your money and buy a moderately priced completed car.
Enjoy Learning to drive and wrench on it NOW.
Accumulate the required mental and physical tool sets needed to keep it tip top.
Meet others in the Cobra replica community including competent shop owners.
After 2 years if you still have the fever, sell it and go all in on your dream car build.